Classic Filipino chicken adobo with soft potato chunks that soak up the sauce and make a bigger serving when you're short on meat.
Chicken adobo is one of those dishes every Filipino household makes slightly differently. This version adds potatoes, which bulk up the dish and absorb the sauce as they cook — by the time they're tender, they've taken on the same salty, tangy flavor as the chicken.
The potatoes also make this a practical dish. Adobo is already easy to stretch over rice, but the added potatoes mean you can feed more people without needing extra meat. It's a good option when you're cooking for a crowd on a budget.
It's also no more complicated than regular adobo. Everything goes into one pot, and both the chicken and potatoes are done in under 30 minutes. Don't cook it much longer than that — the potatoes will crumble and the chicken will fall apart.
Sauté aromatics: Heat neutral oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until softened and lightly browned at the edges, about 4–5 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaves; cook until the garlic is golden and the bay leaves are fragrant, about 1–2 minutes. Watch the garlic — it goes from golden to bitter quickly.
Brown chicken: Add chicken pieces and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5–6 minutes. The chicken doesn't need to be cooked through at this point — you're building color and flavor.
Add sauce and potatoes: Pour in soy sauce, vinegar, and 2 cups water. Add peppercorns and potato chunks. Stir to combine, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Simmer: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 20–30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender all the way through when pierced with a fork and the chicken is cooked through. The sauce will reduce and darken as it cooks.
Serve: Serve hot with steamed rice. The sauce is strong — a little goes a long way over rice.
